From The Orphanage To Punt, Pass & Kick Finals

7-Year-Old Hebron Boy's Soccer Skills Have Landed Him In The Finals

January 07, 2013|Jeff Jacobs

Matiwos loves something else: soccer. He played basketball after baseball after he arrived. One of his real strengths is he can see something and copy it quickly. He saw the proper form for a shot or throw and didn't have to go through the process of correcting bad habits. Yet the real beauty of Pass, Punt & Kick for Matiwos is the kick component. The scores are tabulated for both distance and accuracy, and Matiwos' numbers for passing and punting are very good. His numbers for kicking have been so dominant the Rumleys hope it will help Matiwos overcome his latest obstacle.

"They didn't have TV or PlayStation at the orphanage," Mark said. "What they did from 7 in the morning until 8 at night was play soccer, two-on-two in an alley all day, every day, 12 hours a day in Crocs."

For goalie gloves, they used the inserts for Crocs.

The Rumley kids — Rebecca, 16, Hannah, 14, Luke, 12, Sarah, 9 — are all athletic, playing a slew of sports. The family, in fact, has had success in PP&K before. Sarah finished second at Gillette Stadium in her age group. But it wasn't until Matiwos put his foot into the ball that everyone went, wow! When the youngest kids went to kick in Foxborough, the officials all moved up several feet in anticipation of a measurement.

"It was funny, as soon as Matiwos kicked it, they all started running back," Mark said.

The family are all Yankees fans, but are divided among the Giants, Cowboys, Packers and Patriots. Matiwos is a Patriots fan.

"The first time I see [the NFL] on television I say, 'Oh, my God! What is that sport?' " he said. "Then I see them tackle, I say, 'Whoo!' "

He didn't know English well enough or any of the rules to play this past year. How could he have learned any plays? Within a year, however, he's gobbling down bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches from Dunkin' Donuts. He loves video games. And in the true style of an American kid, he complained that the seats weren't close enough when Mark brought the entire family to Yankee Stadium for game.

"It seems like it happens almost overnight he went from not being able to communicate to much quicker than we expected," she said.

He knows football well enough to say, "I want to be a running back."

Yet as he plays different sports or practices for PP&K on the street on lines Mark painted to mark off yardage or as he is allowed to go to the other side of the gym while coach Steve Emt runs his RHAM varsity basketball practices, something has stood out. Matiwos absorbs pain almost silently. Mark coaches the Hebron kids in youth basketball and he didn't even hear a peep when Matiwos was injured Dec. 28.

"I didn't see it," he said. "Most kids are screaming. He doesn't say anything. After we get home he says, 'Dad, my hand hurts.' We iced it. I'm not thinking twice about it. He wakes up the next morning and it's really swollen."

Mark brought Matiwos to the Connecticut Children's Medical Center. His right thumb was broken. A large cast was applied.

"I'll just throw lefty," Matiwos said.

On Dec. 31, however, orthopedic surgeon Kevin Burton devised a special blue cast.

"It's the tiniest thing, isn't it," Jodi said.

We'll see, but Matiwos is thinking he might be able to compete righthanded Saturday. The winners will be introduced on national television during the Falcons' playoff game.

Matiwos? He remains amazingly unaffected by all of it. When he found out he'd made the nationals, his first reaction was, darn, he'd miss his soccer game at Oakwood.